Various types of control apparatus for an opening and closing member, for example, a movable panel and a sunshade, are known. For example, a control apparatus for an opening and closing member (a sunroof apparatus) is disclosed in JP3339695B, which will be hereinafter referred to as Reference 1. The control apparatus disclosed in Reference 1 is not provided with a structure for mechanically moving a movable panel and a sunshade in conjunction with each other, which results in downsizing of the sunroof apparatus in a vertical direction of a vehicle. A panel opening/closing motor for driving the movable panel to open and close, and a sunshade opening/closing motor for driving the sunshade to open and close are separately driven and controlled. According to the control apparatus disclosed in Reference 1, the sunshade moves in an opening direction electrically in conjunction with the movement of the movable panel in the opening direction (the movement in the opening direction will be hereinafter referred to as an opening operation). In addition, in a case where a sunshade operation button is pressed for closing the sunshade by a user while the movable panel is being opened, the movement of the sunshade in a closing direction (the movement in the closing direction will be hereinafter referred to as a closing operation) is restricted. As a result, the movable panel is inhibited from being forgotten to be closed when the sunshade is closed while the movable panel is being opened.
In addition, according to a control apparatus for an opening and closing member disclosed in JP2011-11735A, which will be hereinafter referred to as Reference 2, a movable panel is configured to close electrically in conjunction with a closing operation of a sunshade in a case where the movable panel (roof panel) and the sunshade (sunshade panel) are opened.
Further, according to a control apparatus for an opening and closing member disclosed in JP4153821B, which will be hereinafter referred to as Reference 3, a sunshade is independently opened by a user to operate a sunshade opening switch (operation switch) and the sunshade is independently closed by the user to operate a panel closing switch (operation switch) in a case where a movable panel (slide panel) is in a fully closed state. According to the control apparatus disclosed in Reference 3, the movable panel and the sunshade are configured to open together by the user to operate a panel opening switch (operation switch). In a case where the movable panel is opened, the sunshade is inhibited from being closed independently.
According to the control apparatus disclosed in each of References 1 to 3, the movable panel and the sunshade are operated electrically in conjunction with each other by the operation of the operation switch on the condition that the movable panel and the sunshade are basically stopped. Therefore, after the movable panel and the sunshade start moving, a subsequent moving status of each of the movable panel and the sunshade is not specially monitored or detected. Consequently, in a case where the operations of the movable panel and the sunshade in conjunction with each other (i.e., an interlock operation of the movable panel and the sunshade) are stopped, a position of one of the movable panel and the sunshade in the opening or closing direction, which should precede a position of the other of the movable panel and the sunshade in the opening or closing direction, may be behind the position of the other of the movable panel and the sunshade (which will be hereinafter referred to as a reversal position relation).
According to the control apparatus disclosed in Reference 3, the movable panel and the sunshade are freely opened or closed by the user to operate the panel opening switch, the panel closing switch, or the sunshade opening switch except for the aforementioned circumstances where the operation of the sunshade or the movable panel is limited or restricted. Thus, in a case where the movable panel or the sunshade operating independently (i.e., an independent operation of the movable panel or the sunshade) is stopped, possibility of establishment of the aforementioned reversal position relation may further increase between the positions of the movable panel and the sunshade in the opening or closing direction. According to the control apparatus disclosed in each of References 1 and 2, the possibility of establishment of the aforementioned reversal position relation may also further increase between the positions of the movable panel and the sunshade in the opening or closing direction in a case where each of the movable panel and the sunshade operating independently is stopped. Nevertheless, the independent operation of each of the movable panel and the sunshade is necessary so as to conform to user's various usages, for example, the usage for only opening the sunshade for the purpose of lighting or the usage for only and partially closing the sunshade for the purpose of light blocking in a state where the movable panel and the sunshade are fully opened.
FIG.7 is a diagram for explaining the reversal position relation. An opening amount AP1 of a panel opening portion formed by a movable panel 91 is smaller than an opening amount AP2 of a shade opening portion formed by a sunshade 92 in a state where the reversal position relation is established. Thus, when the sunshade 92 is brought to a fully closed state with the movable panel 91 being opened in a case where the closing operation of each of the movable panel and the sunshade is stopped, the state of the movable panel 91 is inhibited from visually confirmed from an interior side of the vehicle. For example, the user may wrongly recognize that the movable panel 91 and the sunshade 92 are both fully closed. In addition, in a case where the closing operation of the movable panel 91 is stopped due to a malfunction of the movable panel 91 or a detection of an obstruction at the movable panel 91, for example, the movable panel 91 is left opened, which may lead to a damage of the sunshade 92 by rain or dirt. Further, when the movable panel 91 is brought to a fully open state with the sunshade 92 being partially opened in a case where the opening operation of each of the movable panel and the sunshade is stopped, the sunshade 92 may flap by receiving wind while the vehicle is being driven and generate an abnormal sound.
The aforementioned reversal position relation is generated, for example, by a difference between rotation speeds of motors for the movable panel 91 and the sunshade 92. The difference between the rotation speeds of the motors is caused, even when specifications of the motors for the movable panel 91 and the sunshade 92 are the same, by variations in motor characteristics, variations in mechanical configurations, a difference between slide resistances of the operations, or a difference of motor temperature characteristics, for example. In order to conform the rotation speeds of the motors for the movable panel 91 and the sunshade 92 to each other, a long analysis time may be necessary.
According to a control apparatus for an opening and closing member (sunroof apparatus) disclosed in JP04-293617A, which will be hereinafter referred to as Reference 4, a movable panel and a sunshade are operated to open and close electrically in conjunction with each other. In a case where the movable panel and the sunshade are both fully closed, the start of the opening operation of the movable panel is delayed by a predetermined time period relative to the start of the opening operation of the sunshade. In a case where the movable panel and the sunshade are both fully opened, the start of the closing operation of the sunshade is delayed by a predetermined time period relative to the start of the closing operation of the movable panel. Accordingly, the sunshade is operated ahead of the movable panel in a case where the sunshade and the movable panel are opening. In a case where the sunshade and the movable panel are closing, the movable panel is operated ahead of the sunshade.
A control apparatus for an opening and closing member disclosed in JP07-276993A, which will be hereinafter referred to as Reference 5, tilt and slide operations of the movable panel and tilt and slide operations of the sunshade are operated electrically in conjunction with each other. Specifically, a predetermined delay time is specified for the tilt operations of the movable panel and the sunshade, for example, so as to operate the movable panel and the sunshade electrically in conjunction with each other.
According to the control apparatus disclosed in each of References 4 and 5, the movable panel and the sunshade are on the condition that each of them is in a specific state, for example, in a fully closed, fully opened, or tilted state. Therefore, the establishment of the aforementioned reversal position relation may not be cancelled at the stop of the interlock operation of the movable panel and the sunshade. In addition, a method for cancelling establishment of the reversal position relation is not provided for the independent operation of the movable panel or the sunshade. The control apparatus disclosed in each of References 4 and 5 is intended to control the movable panel and the sunshade in a case where the movable panel and the sunshade are operated in conjunction with each other.
A need thus exists for a control apparatus which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.